The Dragon's Bane A Skyrim Fanfiction
by sillylilyxoxo123
Summary: Katria, a shy but steadfast imperial, always thought that being the apprentice to Gunnar in Helgen would be her version of a humble life in the vast regions of Skyrim. That was until there was a dragon attack, forcing her to escape through the imperial hold and never hope to live there again.
1. Chapter One: Humble Beginnings

"Katria? Where have you been all day?"

I looked up from the book I had been reading. It was Gunnar with his usual stony face. It was hard to read his expression but I could tell from my years of working with him that he was worried. I carefully dog-eared my page and stuffed the book in my knapsack. How long had I been gone from the village?

"I've just been here, it's only been about an hour now if I'm not mistaken?" I looked to the sky to see the sun almost setting over the horizon; perhaps I had been gone longer than I thought. "Oh shoot! I've missed work again haven't I." I felt my cheeks burn red and covered my face with my hands.

"Yes and it's the third time this week, what's gotten into you?" His voice was harsh as we began the short trek back to the town.

"Well a new shipment of books came in..." He sighed.

"I suppose that's a better reason than others." His glass eye twinkled. "But some regiments are coming up soon and we need more ore than ever."

"I promise I'll work three times as hard tomorrow." His hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"It might need to be a night shift." He said and pointed towards the open gates with soldiers piling in.

"Gods, this many?" I straighten the bag on my shoulder. "An execution I bet. The wars' really taken its toll since the murder of the high king."

Thankfully, Helgen had a large keep that could support this amount of infantrymen. There was really no other area where this many soldiers could reside without camping besides the Castle Dour in Solitude. I assume that these prisoners were captured closer to here than there. I wondered if there were any soldiers I had seen before. Occasionally young men from Riverwood, a close town which I had become acquainted with through travel ventures, would come through and recognize me.

I always loved my trips to Riverwood. Mostly because working in the mine was dreadful and I always felt quite inspired by the beautiful forests. Sure, the occasional wolf was rather tiresome but I could handle myself. You would be surprised by how well a pickaxe can work as a weapon. And I would continue to use it as the means to defend myself until I could afford a sword myself (even simple short swords are expensive if your wages are the bed you sleep in and the crusty day-old bread from the inn). But I can't complain, Gunnar was generous to take me in. I was left on the poor miner's porch as a mere baby with barely any covering. I was left unnamed until I was 6 and opened my first book, The Aetherium Wars. I couldn't read but Gunnar saw my infactuation with the book and named me after the dedication. My surname is just a pleasantry. At times I almost loathed it because it was a constant reminder that my parents didn't want me. But I've always loved my first name. I was taught to read because of it and have loved books ever since.

The soldiers bid Gunnar and I a cheerful hello which made me smile. I brushed some remaining grass off of my skirts and looked for familiar faces in the crowd. Most just held the same gruff expression of a generic nord or imperial male and I was slightly disheartened that I hadn't seen anyone that I knew yet. The last few groups were rolling in and I thought is was nearly hopeless to expect I knew any of them and then there he was. Hadvar. The same Hadvar I had met in Riverwood and often spent my time with as his uncle was a frequent customer of Gunnar's. He saw me in the crowd and waved, he kind smile grazing his face.

"Katria!" He hopped off the carriage he was commuting in and jogged to meet me in the road. "I was hoping I would see you here!"

"And here I am," I smiled back at him. "Although I doubt you will be seeing much of me. I've been a little lax with my work in the mines."

"Very true, young lady. In fact, you best be working now." Gunnar eyed Hadvar and motioned towards the mines.

"Promise you'll meet me in the inn when you've finished? I feel like I haven't talked to you in ages." I pretended to ponder as to if I would meet him or not.

"Hmmm, let me think..." I tapped my chin and Hadvar laughed, playfully nudging my arm.

"Please?"

"Of course." His grin grew wider.

"I look forward to it." We said our goodbyes and Gunnar let out a gruff snort at his leave.

"You've got the poor soldier-boy smitten. Good thing you aren't planning on leaving this mine anytime soon." His eyes narrowed in a fatherly way.

"We're just friends and that's probably all we'll ever be, you don't have to worry about me leaving."

"I suppose I can count on the war to keep you two away. Now get to work."

The work in the mines was as grueling as ever. Ore after ore was depleted. As I wheeled in my last cart of iron, Gunnar gave a nod of approval and I went to clean myself off in our home. It crossed my mind to dress in one of my nicer dresses for my outing with Hadvar but I soon realized how ridiculous that sounded. We were just friends and it wasn't like any of my dresses were especially nice. They were all hand-me-downs from Ingrid, the nord woman who worked in the inn. I tugged on a simple blue dress and braided my light hair back before leaving for the tavern.

It was not hard to find Hadvar as it seemed he really had been waiting for me and waved me over to his table as soon as he caught sight of me walking in.

"Finally, I have so much to tell you."

Hadvar was right, he did have a lot to say. I patiently listened to his exploits as a soldier and all of the enemies he had encountered. It was quite cute if I were being honest. Most of the tavern had filtered out but we remained alone with a few of the town's resident drunks and older soldiers.

"So how are 'ol uncle Alvor and aunt Sidgrid doing? I haven't received word from them in awhile. Have they bought any ore lately?"

"They're fine, I visited a few weeks ago, Dorthe's getting so old, you should see her, she's almost as tall as me!" Hadvar laughed.

"It's not that hard to be taller than you, Kat, I hate to break it to you." I playfully glared at him.

"Some day you'll realize being short is an asset." I puffed out my chest and lifted my chin haughtily.

"Whatever you say." He took a slug of his mead. "Read any good books lately?" I smiled at his thoughtfulness. I knew he really didn't care what books I read.

"Actually yes, a cart came in at the start of this week, I'm currently reading _Azura and the Box_ and plan to start _Of Fjori and Holgeir_ and _Song of the Alchemists_ within the week." He held an amused smile and rested his head on his fist, gazing sleepily. "It's actually part of the reason I'm so behind on my mine work."

"As amusing as those books sound, can you spare me of the details? I need to have my wits about me tomorrow and the gods know I can only handle so much... _Literature_." His nose crinkled and I felt a soft giggle escape my lips.

"Would you like to retire for the night? We've been talking for a long while."

"I suppose its for the best if we part for the night. We have a few... Vital prisoners coming tomorrow." We rose together and moved to exit.

"Like whom?" He looked around as if to look for potential spies.

"Hmm, not here." He put a gentle hand on my back and led me a few yards behind the tavern so we were hidden.

"Whoa, if it's so sensitive you can't tell me in an imperial affiliated citadel should I really know?"

"I'm sure the word will be out within the next few days when he's here for the execution." He spoke low and continued to check our surroundings. "What, should I not trust you?"

"Of course you can trust me but back up a bit, 'He'?" I spoke with the same tone, fearing his next response. "Who exactly do you have?"

"I heard word that General Tullius himself, accompanied by Legate Rikke, are coming for the final execution of Ulfric Stormcloak himself."

"But... That would mean that... Is the war truly ending?" my heart swelled, Hadvar would be rather close again.

"If what I heard was true then yes." His eyes were filled with a hope that I hadn't seen since before the war when I first met him on my first trip alone to Riverwood.

"Oh Hadvar! This is _amazing_ news!" I couldn't stop myself from pulling him into a hug. He grinned and pulled back. "Then you certainly do need your sleep Mr. Legionaire. I won't keep you any longer."

"Will I see you at the execution?" He asked. I was doubtful, I always hated public executions, but perhaps if he were there and I got my chance to see the end of the war...

"I'll think about it."

"I know you aren't a fan of um... Beheadings. Well, I'll try to stop by before I'm called back to base if I don't see you there." His eyes twinkled in an unrecognizable way. "Goodnight, Katria."

"Goodnight Hadvar."


	2. Chapter Two: An Untimely Visitor

I woke the next morning to the sound of carts rolling in. I quickly dressed and ran to the porch to watch the procession, hoping to catch at least a glimpse of the supposed Ulfric Stormcloak. Hadvar was reading off names of prisoners, leading them to the public square he saw me approach the growing crowd and shot me a small smile. I was beginning to think that he had been joking with me last night as I hadn't seen even a small hint of someone who looked like Ulfric but then I saw him. He was firmly tied up, a rag in his mouth. Soon the execution would begin. Hadvar had finished his duty and walked to stand by me. Tullius began his usual speech, condemning Ulfric as a traitor and proclaiming that he would be executed for treason. I was quite oblivious to the happenings of other holds but from what I had read I was not too fond of him. Although I didn't believe he deserved to die, I realized it would be entirely necessary to finally end the pointless war. The first prisoner was sent to the block and the resident priestess recited a few ritual lines as a courtesy but was quickly ridiculed by the soldiers and the headsman proceeded to promptly slice his axe through the soldiers neck. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from gagging and I think Hadvar could tell I tensed.

"I've always hated executions." I heard him mumble next to me. "Some of these soldiers were friends and here I am, leading them to their deaths." I gave him a silent look of sympathy to which he responded with a grim smile.

Legate Rikke called for the next prisoner. An apprehensive air made my hand stand on end. Perhaps it was just the cold.

"Is it cold or is it jus-" I didn't finish my sentence. An other-worldly roar shook the keep and the ground.

"What in the world was that?" I could've sworn I heard someone exclaim.

"It doesn't matter, proceed." The Legate shouted over the rumblings of the crowd.

My heart was racing. This did matter and it wasn't normal. I could _feel_ that it wasn't right. Hadvar cast me a confused look.

"What's wrong?" I rubbed my arms.

"Something's not right." I realize now how stupid that sentence sounds but it was the only coherent phrase I could muster. I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, everything's fine, the Legate sa-" In this moment, I'm not exactly sure what came over me whether it were pure instinct or some type of sixth sense, I managed to push Hadvar and myself away from a cloak of flames. "Wha-what? How did you..."

"It's a dragon!" As soon as I heard the words my blood turned cold and my head snapped to the sky. There it was. Harsh dark scales glowered at me. It was nothing like what I had read of before.

"A dragon?" I heard Hadvar shout incredulously, I firmly gripped his jaw and turned his head to see. His eyes widened in fear. "By the gods, we need to get out of here! Follow me! There may be a way out through the keep!" He grabbed my hand and we raced away from the crowd.

One by one, the inhabitants of the village crashed to the ground, either by force of the massive creature or by the flames spewing from its mouth. I spotted the young boy, Hamming crouched alone by what seemed to be his fathers body.

"Hamming! You need to get away from here!" Hadvar noticed I had stopped and turned with me.

"Bu-ut my papa!" His cheeks were tear-streaked and rubbed raw. Gunnar scoped him up into his arms.

"I'll get him to safety, you two _go_! Get out of here as fast as you can!" Hadvar tugged me away and together we tumbled into the keep, still hearing the shouts and turmoil from outside.

I was completely spent and out of breath. I leaned against a nearby post, my mind flying a mile a minute. Would Gunnar really be okay? What would become of Hamming? Was Ulfric Stormcloak dead? Was General Tullius? Stressed tears were running down my cheeks which I hastily rubbed away with my sleeves. Hadvar was also breathing rather heavily but probably not as hard as I. He dragged his hands over his face and tugged at the ends of his hair, groaning in anguish. Another rumble shook the keep, stray pebbles popped out of the cracks.

"This keep won't hold forever, we should keep moving. There's got to be a way out somewhere." Together we surveyed the room and ventured into some soldiers quarters. "You should wear some armor, who knows who's in this keep by now, stormcloak or imperial." He pulled out a set of armor.

"Thank you." I graciously took the pile and dug through the bits and pieces, attempting to dress myself. A lot of it was much too large, but it would make do for now.

"Here's a sword, too, I don't reckon you have your trusty pick axe on you?" He chuckled handing me a short sword. I had forgotten I had told him about my weapon of choice.

"Unfortunately not, although I assume it wouldn't be much help against a dragon." The words seemed odd coming out of my mouth. We hadn't really seen a dragon, had we? Another rumble answered for me.

We continued to venture through the hold. At first, many of the people we came across were imperials. I was thankful for this but I suppose my luck (if you could call it that) had run dry. Once we had passed through the torture chamber, which Hadvar and I had both proclaimed our mutual dislike for, more and more Stormcloaks were resting in our pasts. It was somewhat scary to me how easily Hadvar cut down soldier after soldier in our path. And it was even more scary that I had become accustomed to killing them myself. I barely flinched as my dull blade severed limbs. Perhaps my work in the mines could have atoned to my ease, my muscles hardly strained.

It seemed Hadvar and I would make it through the hold, given that were could find an exit. At least until we reached a final group of stormcloaks. We were vastly outnumbered and they were not only trained archers, but trained mages as well. We seemed to hold our own for awhile until we were down to the last two. Hadvar was challenging a mage while I had taken to fighting the last archer. It was all running so smoothly until the archer notched his last arrow; aiming straight for Hadvar. I hadn't realized what in the world the archer was doing until he released the tension and saw the arrow pierce Hadvars leg.

"Hadvar!" I cried. The archer moved to get a final hit on me which I resisted, slicing into him and finishing him before rushing to aid Hadvar. Thankfully, he had killed the mage before hand.

"Health potion." Was all he said. I quickly found one in the knapsack I was carrying, uncorked the bottle and helped him drink. "Do we have any... Linen wraps" he choked on his words.

"I don't think so... We can cut off the ends of my dress." I pulled out the underskirt and tore away strips with a dagger, helping Hadvar to dress his wound. "You should have another health potion." He shook his head no and moved to stand up, nearly falling. I managed to catch him and guided him with me. There were no more stormcloaks in sight. I wound my arm around his waist, shifting his weight off of his bad leg, helping him to walk forward.

"Okay maybe I should." He groaned and I gave him an 'I told you so' look, uncorking another bottle for him.

After a few moments he was able to stand again and we continued our path. We crossed paths with spiders which wasn't that bad albeit they are _terrifying_ , I had killed two or three before from my ventures through the woods. Hadvar seemed to favor his other leg now.

We were close to the exit now. I could feel it. All we had to do was reach the light area. My heart swelled, we were so close, we were _surviving_ a _dragon_ _attack_ , when Hadvar sharply stopped me with his arm. He immediately crouched and pulled me down with him.

"A bear." He whispered. Then I saw it. A large cave bear, sleeping almost... peacefully. "I reaaaaallly don't want to mess with one right now so we're going to have to be quiet." I nodded in approval and we slowly began to inch our way past the beast. We were barely two feet away when it began to shuffle and grumble in its sleep, turning towards us. I felt my breath hitch in my throat and Hadvar and I stood so still _I_ wasn't even sure if we were real anymore. It's breathing steadied again and Hadvar and I continued to creep past it. I held my hand tightly in his to relieve tension. We were almost past it. I could see the opening of the cave, the bright light. We finished our last few steps and we had made it. We had escaped an actual dragon attack. We lived to tell the tale. I took a deep breath of fresh air and felt like... laughing or cheering or something. We were okay, we were in one piece. I went to express my joy with Hadvar but got the urge to duck behind another rock, pulling him with me. My heart was racing against the rock as the dragon flew over us again and off into the horizon. Looking for any more potential threats, we gradually arose. I looked to Hadvar and noticed he had tears welling in his eyes with a watery smile he pulled me into a huge hug, holding me tighter than I think I've ever been hugged before. I lightly squeezed back and buried my face into his chest.

"We did it." I heard him murmur as he pulled away. "Gods, we _survived_." He almost laughed at this.

"But... Where do we go from here?" Hadvars smile slackened a bit as he looked around at our new environment.

"I believe this is a path to Riverwood." He started walking down the relief. "Oh..." he turned back to me.

"What?" What did he mean 'oh'?

"You don't... really have anywhere to go, do you?" He shook his head and took my hand, guiding me down the path with him. "It doesn't matter, you can come stay with Uncle Alvor and I. I'm sure he won't mind."

It wasn't really until then that I'd realized I didn't have a home anymore. Helgen was most definitely destroyed and I wasn't even sure where Gunnar was, regardless of if he survived or not. There seemed to be a new weight resting on my chest. What was I going to do? I don't have any money or any relatives to speak of. I could only stay with Sidgrid and Alvor for so long, they weren't my family and I had only visited them because it was my job to do so. And I don't even have that job anymore.

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose." We turned down the hill and recognized the terrain, I had accidentally ended up here once while hiking.

"Well as long as I'm there, I'm saying you can stay. Besides, they love you, you're much kinder than Gunnar in your business dealings." He chuckled, trying to keep the air light. I smiled at his courtesy.

"He can be... A bit insensitive at times."

"Stoic, blunt, scary..." I laughed and nudged his shoulder with mine.

"This is my adoptive father we're talking about, he's not scary." Hadvar's smile was bright again.

"That's what makes him scary. Not to mention his glass eye."

"You just have to get used to him." I absentmindedly kicked a stone and brushed my fingers across the bark of the tree I was walking next to. "He was always kind to me."

"Ordering all the books your heart desires? Buying you sweet rolls?" We walked past the standing stones. I wasn't sure what my birth sign was but I had accepted the blessing of the warrior stone as a tribute to those who I had grown up with that went and fought.

"Just the fact that he took me in when he could've left me to die; I owe him my life." Hadvar looked forward, pensively. "The books were nice too, though I don't recall receiving any food that wasn't a day old from the tavern." We turned together on the bridge and entered Riverwood.

"Katria?" A familiar voice dragged me from my thoughts. I looked up from the road and saw Faendal with his woodcutters axe perched on his shoulder. He smiled and met us on the bridge. "And Hadvar! What brings you two here? All... dirty... And in imperial armor..." Suddenly I was reminded of why I was here. Hadvar and I's expressions darkened.

"It's... A long story, come have dinner at the shop with us tonight, the gods know we'll have to explain it all to Uncle Alvor." Hadvar said, somberly. "There's been an attack in Helgen." immediately Faendal's eye's shifted to me, suddenly becoming aware of why I was here.

"I'll be there. Around 7, right?" I was grateful that he hadn't expressed any sympathy or pity towards me. Perhaps he was just waited for a different time.

"Hopefully whatever Aunt Sidgrid makes will lighten the mood." Hadvar pursed his lips and put his hand on my shoulder. "Now lets go get cleaned up."


End file.
